Leaked emails obtained by BBC reveal United Arab Emirates-linked businessman lobbied to sack U.S. Secretary of State

World Bulletin / News Desk

A major fundraiser for U.S. President Donald Trump who is a United Arab Emirates-linked businessman reportedly lobbied Trump to sack Secretary of State Rex Tillerson over his stance on the Qatar row, the BBC said Monday.

The BBC reported that leaked emails obtained by the newswire showed that Elliott Broidy met Trump in October of last year and “urged him to sack Mr. Tillerson” over failing to support the UAE against its regional rival Qatar.

In other emails, Broidy described Tillerson as “weak” and “a tower of jello” and said he “needs to be slammed”.

A spokesman for Broidy blamed Qatar for the leaked emails.

Last summer, a Saudi-led bloc that includes the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain collectively severed relations with Qatar, accusing Doha of supporting terrorist groups in the region.

The four-nation bloc threatened to impose further sanctions on Qatar if it failed to meet a long list of demands, including the closure of Doha-based news broadcaster Al Jazeera.

Qatar, for its part, has refused to comply, strenuously denying the accusations leveled against it.